Shattered Space DLC (A Brief Guide)

Shattered Space is the first major story expansion for Starfield, focusing on the mysterious House Va’ruun, with a recommended player level of 35+. It offers a hand-crafted, horror-tinged experience on a single planet, Va’ruun’kai. Access the expansion by grav-jumping to a random system after completing the initial “One Small Step” quest to find the “Oracle” station.

Key Information Before Playing

• How to Start: After completing the initial quest, jump to any system and you will receive a distress call leading to the Oracle space station.
• Recommended Level: You should be at least level 35. The DLC is more difficult and focuses on close-quarters combat.
• Setting: The expansion takes place almost entirely on one planet, Va’ruun’kai, which features over 50 unique, non-procedural locations.
• Content: The story heavily features House Va’ruun, the Great Serpent, and a more intimate, hand-crafted, and horror-themed story.
• Preparation:
  • Bring the REV-8 land vehicle to traverse the planet.
  • Equip good armor and weapons, as enemies are tough.
  • Andreja is a valuable companion to have for unique dialogue and insights.
• Gameplay Changes: The DLC has minimal ship combat and focuses on ground exploration.
• Compatibility: It is compatible with New Game Plus, offering new dialogue options.

Andreja’s Crimson Dress. This is actually a mod, but I believe there are some outfits to be found for her within Shattered Space.

List of Quests

List of All Shattered Space Quests on Game8

Unique Items

Shattered Space introduces exclusive Va’ruun-themed unique items, primarily featuring high-damage particle beam weapons and specialized armor, such as The Fang’s Rifle, Speaker’s Judgment, and the Legacy of the Fang armor set. Key additions include new weapon types like the Starlash and Penumbra, along with unique melee Va’ruun Schemas and new grenade types, often found as rewards for completing the DLC’s main questline, by looting bosses on Va’ruun’kai, or by locating specific NPCs.

Key Unique Weapons & Items

• The Fang’s Rifle: A unique, green-skinned laser rifle with high fire rate, obtained from the Legacy of the Fang quest.
• Speaker’s Judgment: A rare modified Starlash gun with freezing effects found in a crater at the Skilled Citadel after the main quest.
• Legacy of the Fang Armor Set: A legendary armor set (helmet, boost pack, suit) featuring chameleon effects and reduced weapon weight, which can be acquired by killing a specific NPC, Maaliya, after a quest.
• Va’ruun Penumbra: A versatile particle weapon shooting vortex grenades, often favored for its power.
• Va’ruun Schemas: New melee blades, with epic and legendary variants readily found.

Above: Legacy of the Fang Armor Set

New Gear & Crafting

• Spacesuits: New sets including Va’ruun Mining, Va’ruun Assault, and Zillow Heavy Assault suits.
• Grenades: Five new types—Voltex Grenade Binding, Charged, Lure, Fading, and Unstable—crafted using new materials.
• Apparel: Various unique outfits such as the Varun Suit with Scarf and various lab/guard uniforms.

Many of these items, particularly advanced and legendary variants, can be discovered by defeating high-level enemies or purchased after the main story concludes.

Missable Items

the most critical missable item is the legendary Fall Rock battle helmet found during the “Zealot Citidel” main mission. Other key missable items include unique loot in the Legacy of the Fang side quest, various new Va’ruun outfits (like the Scarf Outfit), and potentially specific weapons or lore entries from temporary locations.

Here are the specific missable items and locations:

• Fall Rock Battle Helmet (Legendary): During the “Zealot Citidel” main mission, near the “reach the pinnacle” objective, search for a locked door to the right in a corridor after finding memorial helmets.
• Legendary Pack: Located behind the same lockpicked door as the Fall Rock helmet.
• Legacy of the Fang Heirlooms: During this side quest, you can find a broken spacesuit, boost pack, and weapon. Giving these to the father (rather than Hugh) may prevent you from obtaining the repaired versions later.
• Va’ruun Outfits: The “Veroon outfit” (scarf outfit) and various Va’ruun enemy outfits are best grabbed during early missions when you face them frequently.
• Lost and Found Quest Items: Various logs and the music box in the “Lost and Found” side quest should be picked up while completing the quest steps.
• New Grenades: Ensure you explore and collect new materials for crafting Voltex grenades, as these are specific to the DLC.

Tips to Avoid Missing Items:

• Explore Thoroughly: Many items are hidden in temporary areas that become inaccessible after finishing the mission.
• Unlock Doors: Invest in lockpicking skills to access areas containing high-tier legendary loot, particularly in the Citadel.
• Check Corpses: Loot the specialized armor from new enemy types you encounter in the DLC. 

What weapons to take with you

Prepare for Shattered Space by acquiring high-damage particle beam weapons like the Va’ruun Inflictor or high-tier laser rifles to handle tough Vortex Horrors, which are vulnerable to energy damage. Prioritize bringing an Advanced Beowulf for versatility and weapons using 3KV LZR ammo, as enemies are often clustered, making rapid-fire weapons effective

Here are the best weapons to have before starting the DLC:

• Best All-Rounder/New Favorite: The Va’ruun Penumbra is a favored new shotgun that fires particle energy balls, perfect for close-to-mid range.
• Top Energy/Laser Weapon: The Speaker’s Judgment (unique laser rifle) hits hard, has low recoil, and can freeze enemies.
• Best Particle Weapon: The Va’ruun Inflictor (particle rifle) remains one of the best for sustained, high damage.
• Best Burst/Range: The Va’ruun Starlash (laser DMR) is excellent for taking out enemies from a distance.
• Reliable Ballistics: An Advanced Beowulf (semi-auto) is highly recommended for its accuracy, speed, and reliability when ammo runs low.
• Heavy Weapon: The Va’ruun Starstorm is a heavy plasma weapon, similar to a microgun, great for crowds. 

Key Advice:

• Focus on Energy/Particle: Vortex Horrors and many enemies in the DLC take more damage from energy/particle weapons rather than purely physical weapons.
• Stockpile Ammo: Ensure you have plenty of 3KV LZR and heavy ammo for particle weapons.
• Get Upgrades: Look for “Advanced” tier weapons to ensure you have maximum damage output.

All Va’Ruun weapons and where to get them

Va’Ruun weapons in Starfield (including the Shattered Space DLC) are high-damage energy/particle beam weapons found primarily by fighting House Va’Ruun fanatics, looting high-level containers, or exploring Va’ruun’kai. Key weapons include the Va’Ruun Inflictor (rifle), Starshard (pistol), and new additions like Penumbra and Starlash.

Base Game Va’Ruun Weapons

These weapons can be found throughout the settled systems, often dropped by Zealots. 

• Va’Ruun Inflictor: A powerful particle beam rifle, frequently considered one of the best guns in the game. Found as random loot or bought from high-level vendors.
• Va’Ruun Starshard: A particle beam pistol that is highly effective even at lower levels. Common drop from enemy Zealots.
• Va’Ruun Painblade: A unique melee weapon favored by House Va’Ruun units.

Above: Eternity’s Gate, a legendary particle beam rifle (based on the Va’Ruun Inflictor). However, you need to defeat The Emissary in the Revelation quest to obtain it.

Shattered Space DLC Weapons 

These weapons are primarily found on Va’ruun’kai. 

• The Fang’s Rifle: Obtained by completing the “Legacy of the Fang” mission.
• Speaker’s Judgement: High-damage rifle obtained as a quest reward.
• Va’Ruun Penumbra: Particle projectile launcher.
• Va’Ruun Starlash: Energy rifle.
• Va’Ruun Starstorm: Particle machine gun, reward for “Zealous Overreach”.
• Va’Ruun Schimaz: Melee blade, dropped by enemies.

How to Obtain Va’Ruun Weapons

• Farm High-Level Enemies: Elite Va’Ruun Zealots often carry high-tier (Refined/Advanced) Inflictors and Starshards.
• Looting: Check weapon racks and weapon cases in high-level industrial, military, or “unknown” POIs, especially in higher-level systems.
• Vendors: Gun vendors in major cities (Neon, Akila, Jemison) might stock them, usually requiring you to be at least level 27+ for better drops.
• Shattered Space Quests: Focus on the main story of the DLC on Va’ruun’kai for specialized weapons.
• Farm Location: An end-game camp on Huygens VII-E is noted for dropping high-quality Va’Ruun loot.